July 11, 2012

Double-edged sword found in Salme ship burial site

“We have discovered typical Salme materials from here, such as swords, rivets, arrowheads, a sheath for a whetstone, and a bunch of modern trash that has been mixed in with the ship's materials,” Ragnar Saag, a master's student of the University of Tartu who led Tuesday's excavation, told ERR radio.

"I think the most double-edged sword is probably the most remarkable artifact that we have found. It is in one piece with a hilt intact, and it provides for good research,” Saag said.

The sword was still partially buried on Tuesday morning, but Saag said he expected to finish digging it out by the evening. Fragments from four other swords have also been found.

Experts also found shields, which they believe were used to cover the entire boat grave. Archaeologists have found dog bones with signs that the dogs were killed before they were buried with their masters.

Several warships have been found in the island village, the oldest dating back to the year 750.